Garment for controlling body temperature during physical activities

ABSTRACT

This invention provides a garment for a person to wear that will more efficiently remove heat from the person&#39;s upper body physical activities. The garment of this invention comprises a shirt member made of a fabric that can retrieve water from the surface of the body, the skin, such that the any amount of the heat contained in the removed water does not flow back into the body. The design of the garment of this invention has sides that have a curved, contoured or tapered shape that resembles the normal shape of a person&#39;s upper body. The contoured design enables the water removing fabric of the shirt to be in constant contact with the person&#39;s body. The invention has vented areas under both arm locations. These armpit areas retain the most heat and therefore require additional means to efficiently reduce the body temperature in those locations.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is related to a provisional patent application No. 60/326,103 filed on Sep. 29, 2001. The contents of this application are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to a garment that can assist in controlling a person's body temperature during physical activities and in particular to a garment to be worn next to a person's skin that can reduce the person's body temperature during physical these activities.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] During activities that require physical exertion, such as running, jumping, lifting or throwing, the body generates additional heat. However, the body must maintain a desirable temperature in a narrow range. Therefore, in order to maintain a healthy body temperature, the body dissipates heat through perspiration. Perspiration contains water and certain dissolved substances produced by glands in the skins. The human body has sweat glands distributed over the entire surface of the body. But in certain areas of the body, there are larger and more concentrated groups of sweat glands. For example, there are many larger sweat glands in the armpits, on the palms of the hands, and soles of the feet. The primary importance of sweat glands is to produce perspiration when the body needs to lose heat. As the perspiration (water) passes through pores to the surface of the body, the water takes heat from the body with it and thereby reduces the internal body temperature. Sweating itself does not reduce body heat. But when the sweat evaporates, this evaporation process has a cooling effect.

[0004] During sports activities, many athletes, especially football and hockey players wear an under garment (shirt) beneath their equipment and team jersey. These under garments can usually absorb some of the perspiration water thereby removing it from the skin. However, many of these under garments are made of cotton and therefore hold the water perspiration from the body. Furthermore, when the under garment becomes saturated with water it provides no meaningful benefit to the wearer, as the shirt will stick to the skin having the affect of the water not being removed from the skin. At this point, the shirt holds the water and keeps the body temperature at an increased level. The most affective action would be to remove the garment from the person, wring out the water from the garment and put back on the garment. This approach is unreasonable in most cases and is unlikely to occur.

[0005] Technology exists today that has developed materials that can remove dissipated water from the skin such that the person does not feel the effect of the water. However, much of the motivation and many of the applications of this technology are directed towards products for infants such as many different types of diaper designs. The other major application for this technology is in the health care field. In this field, the applications are for things such as bladder control situations. These water removing and water holding materials have even proven to be affective for garments and other apparel used in athletics or other physical activities garments.

[0006] Although materials exist today that can affectively remove water from the surface of the skin, another factor that can contribute to optimum body cooling is the shape and design of the garment. As previously stated, in this cooling process the under garment can only absorb the perspiration when the garment is in contact with the skin. As shown in FIG. 1, under garments usually have a standard straight design 100 and does not conform to the body shape 101 of the person wearing the garment. As shown, when a person wears the garment, there are gaps 102 between the shirt and the person's body which reduce the level of contact between the body and the under garment. With a reduced level of contact, there is a reduced efficiency in the water and heat removing process of the garment. As previously mentioned, currently, the shirt garment has constant contact with the body surface when the shirt has absorbed sufficient perspiration such that the perspiration causes the shirt to stick to the body. In this situation, the water causes the shirt to stick. Therefore, the water is still in contact with the body and is not reducing the body's heat to the skin. Some athletic apparel worn on the upper body does fit firmly against the skin, but these types of garments are not designed for the purpose of removing water or reducing the body temperature. The designs in these cases are more the result of the types of activity in which a person will participate, such as track and field events.

[0007] At the present time, some under garments are constructed of materials that can efficiently remove water from the surface/skin and isolate the water such that the heat in the water is not reabsorbed into the body and thereby reduce the heat removing process. This process of removing the water is known as “wicking”.

[0008] Although these new fabric materials do remove the water as designed, the pattern and design of the garments remain straight along the sides which still creates gaps between the garment and the body, and thereby enables the garment to more efficiently remove the water from the body. There remains a need for a garment design that reduces and substantially eliminates the gaps between the garment and the body surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It is an objective of this invention to provide a garment that can be worn by a person during physical activities, which can enhance the heat removing capabilities of the person's body.

[0010] It is a second objective of this invention to provide a body temperature garment design that substantially fits and adheres to the shape of the person's body.

[0011] It a third objective of this invention to provide a garment fabric, which has the ability to draw water away from the surface of a person's body.

[0012] It is a fourth objective of this invention to provide a garment design with minimum excess fabric material.

[0013] It is a fifth objective of this invention a vented area in the garment to further provide body temperature control.

[0014] This invention provides a garment for a person to wear that will enable the body to more efficiently remove heat from the person's upper body during physical activities. This efficient removal of heat enables the body to maintain a cooler temperature during these activities. The garment of this invention in one embodiment comprises a shirt member made of a fabric that can retrieve water from the surface of the body, the skin, such that the any amount of the heat contained in the removed water does not flow back into the body. This process of removing the water from the skin is known as “wicking”. The design of the garment of this invention has sides that have a curved, contoured or tapered shape that better resembles the shape of a person's upper body. The contoured design enables the water removing fabric of the shirt to be in constant contact with the person's body. This constant contact prevents sweat from accumulating on the person's skin before being absorbed by the garment. The invention has vented areas under both arm locations. The under-arm areas retain the most heat and therefore require additional means to efficiently reduce the body temperature in those locations.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015]FIG. 1 is a sleeveless view of the standard under garment design.

[0016]FIG. 2 is a sleeveless view of a water removing garment embodiment of the present invention.

[0017]FIG. 3 is a side view of a sleeveless embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2.

[0018]FIG. 4 is a view of a long-sleeve embodiment of the water-removing garment of the present invention.

[0019]FIG. 5 is a short-sleeve embodiment of the water-removing garment of the present invention.

[0020]FIG. 6 is short-body long-sleeve embodiment of a water-removing garment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021]FIG. 2 shows a basic design for the present invention. The invention has a basic T-shirt design. In this design, a moisture management material fabric comprises the material of the garment. Examples of this material include nylon based fabrics such as those distributed under the Supplex® mark, which is manufactured by I.E. Dupont De Nemours. The shoulder portion of the garment has an angular cut 103 that provides optimum fit. As previously discussed, the more constant contact the fabric material has with the body surface, the more optimum and efficient the results from the moisture management and temperature processes. The sides of garment have contoured shapes 104 that provide for a maximum fit to the body surface to improve moisture management control. The contour shape of the side can begin at the base of the sleeve and continue along the side to the bottom. The amount of contour can vary from one design to another. The garment has a collar 105. Below the sleeve portion of the garment is the vented section of the garment 106. The vented section comprises a section of the moisture management material fabric with holes/openings throughout the section of material. The combination of moisture management fabric and the openings provides enhanced cooling capabilities for the armpit location of the person. The bottom of the garment has a tailored cut shirttail 107 for maximum comfort. In the original design, shown in FIG. 1, the bottom/tail of the shirt is substantially straight and has excess that has to be tucked in the lower garment. When a person wears the present invention, the sides 104 of the shirt form fit to the person's sides and are constant contact with the skin of the wearer.

[0022]FIG. 3 shows a side view of the temperature control garment. The vented portion 106 of the garment provides additional heat reducing capability for the armpit section of the person. This vented section can have a variety of shapes and designs. As shown, it can also have a generally triangular shape, rectangular, circular or any other desired design. The material can have holes as shown in FIG. 3, or slots or other designs that allow for are to pass thereto. The vented section can also be a different material such as a mesh material or other porous material. The vented section can be a two-part piece connected together.

[0023] The design of the present invention differs from the conventional vented/mesh shirts. In many jerseys, mesh material comprises the majority of the shirt, except for the shoulders, armpit and sides. These sections comprise conventional solid materials. The armpit section, which is vented in the present invention, is closed in the conventional shirt garments. The design of the present invention is opposite to the design of the conventional shirt designs. In addition, sleeveless jerseys also do not have vented sections under the armpit as in the present invention.

[0024]FIGS. 4 and 5 show the long sleeve and short sleeve embodiments of the present invention. As shown, the long sleeve embodiment has sleeves 108 comprising a “Rachael” nylon Lycra fabric. The end of the sleeve has a small hem 109 for stability. This hem will enable the sleeve to fit tightly with the arm and provide this stability on the sleeve. This hem can be the end of the sleeve or it can be a separate piece attached to the sleeve. In these embodiments, the vented section 106 can be a two-piece section. A larger portion 110 will be in the side portion of the shirt and the smaller or other portion 111 would be on the sleeve.

[0025]FIG. 6 shows the application of the present invention in short body garment. The short body garment shown in FIG. 6 has the contoured sides 113. The vented portion 114 can be one piece that fits with the sleeve and side of the garment. The vented portion can also be two separate pieces. One piece each will attach to the sleeve and the side. The two-vented pieces will also attached to each other. This embodiment can also have a wrist insert 112 on the sleeves. These wrist inserts provide water-removing capabilities for the garment. This capability further reduces heat during physical activities. These wrist inserts are also available for embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5. The sleeves can also have the small hems 115 for stability. This embodiment also has shortened length and a stretchable bottom border 116 for increase comfort and stability. This stretchable bottom section 116 can also have water-removing capabilities.

[0026] The apparatus and methods of this invention provide significant advantages over the current art. The invention has been described in connection with its preferred embodiments. However, it is not limited thereto. Changes, variations and modifications to the basic design may be made without departing from the inventive concepts in this invention. In addition, these changes, variations and modifications would be obvious to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the foregoing teachings. All such changes, variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of this invention. 

I claim:
 1. A shirt garment to be worn next to the skin by a person during activities that require physical exertion, said garment capable of removing heat from the body during these activities, said garment comprising: a fabric capable of removing water from the surface of the body; left and right sides of the garment covering the left and right sides of the person, each said side having a contour shape that causes the garment to be constant contact with the surface of the person's body; and vented sections of the garment, one said vented section being located at each armpit portion of the garment.
 2. The shirt garment as described in claim 1 further comprising sleeves through which the person would extend their arms.
 3. The shirt garment as described in claim 2 further comprising inserts incorporated into said sleeves, said sleeve inserts providing additional water removing capabilities.
 4. The shirt garment as described in claim 3 further comprising a hem on each arm sleeve, each said hem being located at an end of each.
 5. The shirt garment as described in claim 1 further comprising a collar section attached to said garment at the location of the garment the surrounds the neck of the person.
 6. The shirt garment as described in claim 1 wherein said vented sections comprise two sections joined together.
 7. The shirt garment as described in claim 2 wherein each said vented section comprises a separate piece of said water removing material, each said vented section piece being attached to said sleeve and said garment at the arm pit section of said garment.
 8. The shirt garment as described in claim 2 wherein said vented sections comprise two pieces joined together, one said piece of the vented section being incorporated into the sleeve at the section of the sleeve that is attached to said garment and the other said vented section being incorporated at the arm pit portion of the garment.
 9. The shirt garment as described in claim 1 wherein said vented sections comprise a mesh material.
 10. The shirt garment as described in claim 1 wherein said vented sections comprise slits that allow air to pass there through.
 11. The shirt garment as described in claim 1 further comprising a hem at the bottom of said garment to provide additional fit support.
 12. The shirt garment as described in claim 12 wherein said bottom hem provides additional water removing capabilities.
 13. The shirt garment as described in claim 1 further comprising a bottom section of said garment in which the front and back portions of said bottom extend lower than the side portions of said bottom section of said garment, said bottom section providing maximum comfort.
 14. The shirt garment as described in claim 13 further comprising sleeves through which the person would extend their arms.
 15. The shirt garment as described in claim 14 further comprising inserts incorporated into said sleeves, said sleeve inserts providing additional water removing capabilities.
 16. The shirt garment as described in claim 14 wherein each said vented section comprises a separate piece of said water removing material, each said vented section piece being attached to said sleeve and said garment at the arm pit section of said garment.
 17. The shirt garment as described in claim 14 wherein said vented sections comprise two pieces joined together, one said piece of the vented section being incorporated into the sleeve at the section of the sleeve that is attached to said garment and the other said vented section being incorporated at the arm pit portion of the garment.
 18. The shirt garment as described in claim 7 wherein said vented sections comprise a mesh material.
 19. The shirt garment as described in claim 7 wherein said vented sections comprise slits that allow air to pass there through.
 20. The shirt garment as described in claim 8 wherein said vented sections comprise a mesh material.
 21. The shirt garment as described in claim 8 wherein said vented sections comprise slits that allow air to pass there through.
 22. A method of modifying a shirt garment worn next to the skin during physical activities, said garment comprising a material that is capable of removing heat from the body during the physical activities and comprising the steps of: tailoring the portion of the shirt garment that will cover the person's sides such that said garment is in constant contact with the surface of the person's body; and providing airflow paths in the shirt garment to allow air to pass through said shirt garment and provide additional heat removing capabilities.
 23. The method as described in claim 22 further comprising the steps of: attaching sleeve sections to said garment through which the person will extend their when wearing said garment, said sleeve sections being comprised of a water removing material to provide additional water removing capabilities; and incorporating in each said sleeve section a water removing material.
 24. The method as described in claim 23 further comprising the step of tailoring a bottom section of said garment such that the front and back portions of said bottom extend lower than the side portions of said bottom section of said garment, said bottom section providing maximum comfort. 